From the reunited Everlys to Chuck Berry on Mercury, rerecorded best-ofs such as this seldom bring magic or chops--the youthful buoyancy that kept the melodrama from getting soggy is in short supply with comparatively little trade-off in the standard interpretive nuance. A quarter century later, his voice still socks and soars and even if it's clear on some ("In Dreams", "Running Scared", and of course "Oh, Pretty Woman") that only the artyfacts will do, nobody who wasn't there will swear to the authenticity of these marginally more tasteful recreations. After all, just how great were his hits? To crown him rock's first neurotic is to damn Donald Duck as a proto-fascist--pop rock melodrama, much like pop rock comedy, carries its own set of conventions and he is their slave. As an earnest heretic who was there and who isn't sure if Phil Spector was good for rock and roll, I'll stick with the artyfacts. They're certainly no worse. And versions you don't need. B-
>>127995496my mom's nutty cousin had every Roy Orbison record back then. she however was never taken with the guy.
>>127995496you're welcome
wouldn't say the "Sha la la" backing vocals on Blue Angel aged well tbqh
This was a period fad; in the 80s they would get 50s-early 60s guys to remake their old hits but the results were often pretty meh.
>>127996519The Essential Roy Orbison would be the only disc you really need if it didn't swap the original In Dreams for its '80s remake. Boneheaded move.
Roy's lost years in the 70s are hilarious. This looks like a freaking Robin Trower album cover.
>>127995496wonder if cuckgau ever had a sunglasses phase>>127996494Yeah, too many syllables. Should have cut out the "Dum Dum Dum's"Good song tho.>>127996519I know in Roy's case, he wasn't making any money off of his old hits. That's why he rerecorded them.>>127996615>what losing your family in a house fire does to a nigga
